Many of my posts relating to Tasmania include something to do with mining. Present day Ringarooma is a small town about 55 kilometres northeast of Launceston. The area was first used by the Tasmanian aborigines but it wasn’t until the 1850’s when James Scott blazed a track over the range of mountains that the area was opened up for farming.

In my recent research, I have found that the original town developed in the 1860’s called Ringarooma was actually near the mouth of the Ringarooma River flowing out into Ringarooma Bay. In 1888, this town was renamed to Boobyalla. Also in 1888, the town once called Krushka Town was renamed Ringarooma. This is the present town mentioned in the first paragraph.

Ringarooma is also a registration district for births, deaths and marriages in Tasmania.

The early settlers in the 1860’s arrived in the Ringarooma area by horseback or walking as the tracks were very narrow. As the settlement grew larger, the tracks were widened and bullock trains could then bring in people and supplies. It would take about 12 hours from Launceston in a two horse buggy.

In the 1870’s alluvial tin was found about three kilometres from the town. Now smaller townships developed but still based around Ringarooma where the miners would get their supplies. Gold was first found in the early 1880’s at the New River.

For those families who didn’t want to mine, they could clear the land to grow crops. They found the soil around Ringarooma was of a great chocolate colour and was fantastic for dairy and beef cattle. Crops such as potatoes, peas, carrots and onions were also grown as well as hops.

In 1908, the Ringarooma Co-operative Butter, Cheese and Bacon Factory was opened.

How this registration district fits into my family history.

Alexander Dawson senior and Hannah Sutton, my 2nd great grandparents, married in 1882 in Gladstone which is in the Ringarooma registration district. Alexander was a miner. They were married in the home of Catherine Dawson, Alexander’s mother.

Alexander Dawson, my great grandfather, as mentioned in the post about Queenstown, was born in Gladstone in the Ringarooma District in 1884. Most of his siblings were also born in the Ringarooma district and around 1899, his parents, Alexander senior and Hannah nee Sutton moved the family to Queenstown where their final child Frederick was born in 1900.

Unfortunately Alexander senior died in 1901 from inflammation of the lungs. His death was written up in the local paper.

PS Maybe I should have checked precisely where the Dawson siblings were born rather than just looking at the registration district. The distance between Gladstone and the town Ringarooma is about 55 kilometres.